Wednesday, April 3, 2013

SAVUA ENQUIRY Part 3: Savua had packed to shift to PM’s office

SAVUA ENQUIRY Part 3: Savua had packed to shift to PM’s office and used
police resources for treason

Summary of Part 2: Savua’s
dereliction of duties and failure to use riot bus. In part 2, you read, how, despite all the police
resources and Police Mobile Unit and the Riot (Red) Bus at his disposal, Savua
rendered that useless, and he was missing-in-action to lead the police to
control an unruly crowd, as he had predicted. Despite all this, he was found
innocent of any wrong doing by Justice Timoci Tuivaga’s court, held in camera.
Now read Part 3 to make up your own mind whether he was guilty. If you have not
read two other previous parts, please go back to FIJI PUNDIT (www.fijipundit.blogspot.co.nz)
and catch up on those stories that no Fiji papers or journalists have ever
reported on.

Former Commissioner of Police Isikia Savua was rewarded by Qarase as Fiji's representative to United Nations. Qarase systematically rewarded all ethno-nationalists who helped in propping up a nationalist government, that had to be deposed for abusing democracy and denying equality and social justice to all its citizens.

Here is Part 3

CRITICAL SUPPORT UNITS AVAILABLE TO
SAVUA TO CONTROL RIOTS AND PARLIAMENTARY TAKEOVER

(a) Recruitment of
Ex-Soldiers

About 900 ex-military personnel were absorbed into
the Police Mobile Unit to reinforce its strength. Why weren’t they fully
utilized to cover the streets of Suva and the Parliament before the March of
May 19, 2000? Were they actually
recruited to support the takeover of Government?

(b) Intelligence Services

Were other government intelligence agencies
consulted and strategic action taken by Mr. Savua by drawing strategic plans to
prevent possible disobedience and civil unrest?
If not, why not? Officers have reported that the Commissioner
deliberately misinformed the Prime Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs
by downplaying security threats and developments in official reports. He
deliberately manipulated Police Reports, and indeed cut off the access the
Police intelligence chiefs had with the Prime Minister.

A letter dated 16/04/00 was addressed to the Prime
Minister which was handed over to the Police Special Branch Unit forewarning
them of the possible plan to take over the Government. The letter identified Mr. Savua as one of the
architects of the planned takeover with another former army Colonel, Savenaca
Draunidalo. It also named several senior public servants including a permanent
secretary and several people who were appointed ministers in the Interim
Administration.

In this letter, an extremely serious allegation
had been made about the Police Commissioner and his involvement in planning a
takeover of the Parliament. Why were these information not acted upon and a
full inquiry not taken place at that time based on the information provided? The Commissioner withheld this information
from his Minister and the Prime Minister and thwarted attempts by senior
intelligence and police officers to directly see their Minister to discuss this
concern. Two of these officers were transferred out of Suva at this time.

(c) March Permit and Rioting

We are to understand that the permit for the
proposed March of May 19th was only allowed within a designated area; i.e.,
from the Suva bus station to Government House and nowhere else as
specified. Why didn’t the Police Mobile Unit erect roadblock at the Government
House main gate to stop those taking part in the march heading to Parliament?
Officers have told us that the Police Commissioner asked officers loyal to him
to allow the marches to proceed beyond Sukuna Park.

A burnt-out Suva. Savua was missing in action, and prevented police from bringing law and order to rioting that burnt part of Suva.

The Police Commissioner and handpicked officers
were in the thick of looting and rioting. A number of officers and witnesses
have informed us that the Commissioner was instructing the rioters to
"complete their looting within two hours". During this period when he
was in the thick of the rioting in Marks Street and Cumming Streets in Suva, he
made sure that Police reinforcements were not deployed in these areas to bring
the rioting under control.

His loyal police officers played an important role
in ensuring that the Mobile Unit did not hinder the marches and that the
pre-planned looting was allowed to run its planned course.

(d) Penal Code Offences

Some rebels were arrested by police on Ratu Sukuna
Road outside the Nasese Shopping Centre for damaging property and shop lifting;
both Penal Code offences. We are
informed that Mr. Savua released those arrested after consulting his rebel
brother, Major Savua without being charged. Mr. Savua (PC) gave the directive
to release all the rebels during a briefing at the Central Police Station.

(e) Evidence of Vacating Office

A week before the attempted coup, Mr. Savua packed
all his belongings in his office and told his staff officer, one ASP that he
would be moving to the PM’s office as Prime Minister. Staff officers had packed
his office materials and confidential reports and police papers were destroyed
or left in a secure Shipping Container at his residence. Unfortunately, one of
the senior staff has been sent away for overseas mission by the Commissioner of
Police to avoid him giving testimony in the tribunal.

(f) Threatening Violence

Mr. Savua threatened a former Divisional Police
Officer at gunpoint. This is not the first police officer to be threatened at
gunpoint by Mr. Savua during this period. Such threats were aimed at warning
officers that he could take action outside of law.

(g) Inward/Outward Calls

Mr. Savua has been regularly making and receiving
phone calls from George Speight and his associates a couple of weeks before the
attempted takeover. His mobile phone was
used extensively before, during and after the takeover of the previous
government for such contacts.

Savua was in cahoots with George Speight, was in constant touch with him and provided police resources to loot Muaniweni Indo-Fijian farmers.

These calls increased in frequency in the days
leading to the coup and on the day of the takeover of parliament. At least 5
telephone conversations took place between Speight and Savua on May 19th
itself. Surely the Commissioner was not discussing insurance business with
Speight on the day of the takeover.

(h) Police Recruitment

The recruitment of Special Constable in the Force
is shocking - reeking of nepotism and gross abuse of office. A large number of
Special Constables were recruited from his province - including over-age and
under-age recruits and special constables with criminal convictions.

Most alarming was the fact that criminals who were
involved in looting and terrorism in the Tailevu area and who were released on
bail by the Magistrates courts were recruited, through Savua's approval as
special constables. Some of these people were then put in charge of police
security over the very people that they had terrorized. A total of 100 new
recruits were recruited two to three weeks before the coup. Out of
the 100 recruited, there was only a single Indo-Fijian and 99 Fijian recruits.

In fact the Acting Commissioner had taken some
steps to remedy this and had terminated the employment of 26 Special Constables
recruited by Savua who had serious criminal records. The
charge of recruiting Special constables with criminal records in itself must
have been adequate for the Tribunal and the Public Service commission to
terminate his employment. This was a gross violation of Public Service
procedures and ethics. How did the Kangaroo court that tried him find him
innocent?

Former Chief Justice, Timoci Tuivaga, who found Savua innocent of any wrongdoing during Qarase's Interim Rule. He is son-in-law of former Peoples Coalition Minister, Dr. Tupeni Baba, who now heads Qarase's SDL Party and is collecting support to fight next elections in Fiji. (Photo Courtesy of Fiji Sun)

(i) Conspiracy

Some senior police officers were part of a
conspiracy to overthrow the Peoples' Coalition Government. This conspiracy was
hatched by Savua with the assistance of a senior official in the President's
Office, several senior public servants who were formerly in the army and
politicians from SVT and the FAP - several were made Ministers in Interim Government
headed by Qarase.

Prior to the coup, 65 % of the Police Mobile Force
Unit was taken off elite training to undergo work at stations around the
country. Savua directed this work in spite of opposition from loyal police
officers - who saw this as a most peculiar development especially as the
security situation was worsening in the capital. Neither the Home Affairs
Minister nor the Prime Minister was informed about this significant
development.

Savua recruited handpicked territorial Force
soldiers to replace Police Mobile personnel. This was a highly questionable
development - and because it took place gradually over several months, such a
large-scale deployment was hidden from the Police Services Commission and the
Minister responsible.

One hour before the coup, a red police bus with
Territorial officers was directed from Sukuna Park to go to parliament house.
When they reached parliament house, the marching crowd arrived there. They
simply went past the riot squad to the back gate of the parliament. They were told by Mr. Savua to standby there
and guard the front gates of parliament instead of being deployed in the city
where looting had already begun.

(j) Savua for Prime Minister?

The looting in downtown Suva took almost 4 hours
with only few police man manning the city area. Surprisingly, the police had no
strategies to counter the looting coupled with civil disobedience in the heart
of the city.

We are reliably informed that Mr. Savua directed
Jahir Khan to go to Parliament house and bring the leader of the house and the
speaker to the command center where he was awaiting. He knew full well by the
time that the armed men had taken control of the parliament. Even if they
hadn't what protocol required the Speaker and the Head to be summoned to the
office of the Police Commissioner? Savua, according to police informants was to
declare himself the Prime Minister following this meeting. But his plans were
foiled when others jumped onto the bandwagon of Speight's takeover and cut him
off from Speight.

One Constable drove Jahir Khan to parliament. Upon
arrival at the Parliament gates, they asked to be let through the gates but Mr.
Duvuloco arrived at the scene and objected to these officers going in to
parliament house. It appears that a new group that was marginal to the planning
of the conspiracy had now begun to control the shots inside the parliament.

(k) Actions at the Height of
Crisis

Mr. Savua is renowned for his media conference on
both minor and major issues. At the
height of crisis, he was nowhere to be seen. His absence was quite deliberate.

Mr. Savua was not available for advice and
direction on the day of looting and he remained out of the office for most of
the whole day. It would be interesting
to get a print out of his statement of account of mobile phone (mobile no
905269) on the day of the looting. Interestingly, he was seen on the streets of
Suva while his senior officers had no knowledge of his whereabouts.

This pattern was to be repeated in the days ahead.
He was again absent from office when the police stations around the nations
were being taken over by rebels. Serving
members with their families were subject of abuse by the rebels and put through
a living hell.

(l) Corporal Seavula

The night the TV station was stormed, Central
Police Station (CPS) was also threatened by the same rebels. The same night,
Corporal Seavula was shot to death. On that night, all police were on standby
at CPS as the rebels going from parliament house to town. The army was guarding CPS and all lights were
off at the station. Police officers were waiting for the rebels to arrive at
the CPS.

Officers at the CPS heard gunshots nearby
(Selbourne St and also in town). At midnight the lights were turned on and Mr.
Savua called all officers and started telling them about the events that night
and asked the officers present to carry on the work (standby in their areas)
and were debriefed and they were told them to go home. Why was this done when
so serious security threats existed? What was discussed between Savua and the
rebels on this night? Did it relate to the removal of the President, Ratu Mara?

TO BE CONTINUED in DRAMATIC CONCLUDING PART:SAVUA ENQUIRY-PART 4 - Police Helped Transport
Arms from Military to Rebels and Steal from Muaniweni Indo Fijian farmers.